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India's batting all-rounder Shivam Dube put on an all-round show against Netherlands in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 clash at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad. As Dube contributed with a 31-ball 66 and 2/35, former India assistant coach Abhishek Nayar praised him for working hard on bowling, adding extra pace. Nayar felt that Dube bowled at same pace as Netherlands pacers and fulfilled the challenge thrown at him by captain Suryakumar Yadav and head coach Gautam Gambhir ahead of Super 8s.
"Not only in the World Cup, but in the last one year, he has delivered whenever he has been challenged, whether it's with the ball or the bat. He has even bowled with the new ball for India. He has worked very hard. He has reduced his weight and increased his strength. He has increased his muscle mass," Nayar said on JioStar.
"His bowling pace has also increased. He was bowling at 130-131 kph today (Wednesday). That is the all-rounder's speed. Every Netherlands fast bowler was bowling at that speed. I believe whatever challenge Suryakumar Yadav and Gautam Gambhir have given to him, he has lived up to every challenge thus far," he added.
Dube got the wickets of Netherlands all-rounders Bas de Leede and Zach Lion-Cachet. Earlier, he was able to overcome a slow start by hitting six sixes in his 31-ball 66. His blazing knock helped India get close to the 200-run mark.
‘Very difficult to stop Dube’
Nayar lauded Dube for making up for the dot balls early in his innings. He is in awe of Dube's ball-striking abilities.
"He had scored only two runs off the first nine balls. After that, he rotated the strike. He is a player like that. Once his bat starts striking the ball, it's very difficult to stop him. He has power for sure, but he has his areas as well - midwicket, long-on, deep cover, and we haven't seen his sweep shot yet," the former all-rounder said.
Dube faces the Proteas challenge
So far, the 32-year-old has 116 runs from four innings. He doesn't have the best of records against South Africa, India's first Super 8 opponent. From five innings, he has scored 59 runs. He has two wickets against them, conceding runs at 7.27 runs per over.
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